Destiny
by Shadowhunter12
Summary: Jonas lives in Centre City (Downtown San Diego), formally the 8th largest metropolitan area in the United States. He left his home of Abnegation to make his life in Dauntless. Although Initiation proves to be much more challenging than he and his fellow initiates thought, their biggest challenge will come when they must take a stand to protect and defend their way of life.
1. Chapter 1

My father's fingers gently support my head, keeping it straight and upright. The trimmers buzzing in my ear, sending chills down my spine. I always loved that feeling. I glance down with my eyes and watch as my brown hair falls into my lap, caught in the towel my father draped over me. The trimmer moves over my ears and I know he is almost finished.

"It's o.k. to be nervous, you know," he offers as try not to show how anxious I am, "you'll remember this day as one of the happiest days of your life." I can't see him, but I know he's smiling down at me.

"I know," I croak, "but Dad…the aptitude test-"

"Means nothing," he interrupted. The buzzing stops. My father comes around and lowers himself to my height and places his hands on my shoulders.

"Jonas," he looks me dead in the eye, "Today is about you and you alone. This is your day to pick your destiny." His voice begins to shake a little,

"Your mother and I will always love you, no matter what. Understand?" So he knew. I nodded, and awkwardly embraced him as he gave me a hug. Showing physical signs of affection like this wasn't common, for either of us. To do so meant absolute trust and love for one another.

"I'm almost done, just a few loose ends to trim up," he says as he pulls away. The buzzing starts again and I close my eyes, as the weight is lifted from my shoulders.

My fingers tremble as I button up my shirt. Grey, loose fitting, but comfortable. The same goes for my trousers and light coat. Abnegation aren't supposed to stand out. We're supposed to blend in and help others selflessly in the background, seeking no reward. As I'm finishing tying my shoes I hear my mother call,

"Jonas, are you ready?" I take a deep breath,

"I'm coming downstairs now," I call out. I stand up and take one last look around my Spartan room. Grey metal bookshelf that houses my school textbooks, _I won't need those_, I think as I turn to take in the rest of the room. Grey bed, simple grey metal desk, grey walls, a single lamp, and a single light fixture. I won't miss it. My heart drops a little as that realization sinks in. This is my home, and I won't miss it. I turn off the light for the last time and head down stairs.

My parents' smiling faces greet me as I descend the staircase. My father dons his coat and opens the door for us. I let my mother step outside first, then follow her. Together, as a family, we follow the crowd of other Abnegation families.

Everything in our section of the East Village is grey now. Occasionally you can find pictures of what the city used to look like. The Abnegation neighborhood used to full of color, but not anymore. A few blocks south is the Hub, and just to the east of that is an old sporting stadium. It sits silent and empty, except for the Dauntless members who sometimes run through it and the Factionless who chose to live there. Just two blocks east is the Erudite headquarters, located in an old library and a building that used to be a law school. In the heart of the city are the Candor headquarters located in the old courthouses. To the south east of the city, and just outside the Fence are the Amity farms.

"Do you want to walk along the Embarcadero instead?" my father asks me, a smile on his face. This eases my anxiety a bit, but I know the pain this will cause when I make my decision. But for the sake of my father being able to have one more happy memory, I say,

"May we?" he and my mother smile, and I do too, but inside I'm starting to shake. We come to Ash street, turn right and I can see the water. Turning onto Harbor drive, we head south. I always liked walking along the water. Behind us lays the remains of an old wooden ship, hundreds of years old, we call it the Star because that's all that's left of the painted name in white on the black hull. We keep walking south and a huge grey ship meets us. Dauntless guards patrol the fenced in enclosure with signs posted, warning passersby that it's unsafe to be in those areas. The buildings are crumbling and look like they're about to collapse at any moment. We keep walking along Harbor Drive as it curves to the left, taking us east. Across the street are parks where the younger children often play, there's an old museum with activities run by Abnegation to keep the younger ones who aren't old enough for school yet busy while their parents work.

Then we see the Hub, its white covering looking like sails in the wind, as if the whole building was about to sail off into the sunset. Around it are tall buildings with names that don't have any discernable meaning. My father once said they used to be called hotels. People would come here from other cities for business or vacation and spend a few days living in a small room there. I once asked him why they didn't stay with the Abnegation. He said this was before the Factions and the Fence and the Great War. Now much of Centre City lies in ruins with abandoned buildings covering most of the city. We rejoin the crowd of Abnegation as they ascend the many stairs to the top of the building. There are only three levels to the Hub, but it stretches out for a mile in length. Because of how nice the weather is outside, we head to the outdoor amphitheater for the Choosing Ceremony. Additional bleachers and chairs have been added to accommodate everyone who comes. Dauntless take up the far left, with Erudite to the right, followed by Amity. Those who are of age line up in the center aisle, splitting Abnegation into two sections. I find my place in alphabetical order, between an Erudite girl and an Amity boy. The Erudite girl glances back at me and rolls her eyes at me. The Amity boy offers a warm smile,

"Don't worry about her," he says and offers me his hand, "I'm Quin." I awkwardly take it, I've never been comfortable shaking hands,

"Jonas," I say.

"Nice to meet you Jonas. I think I've seen you before." This wasn't uncommon. Always seen, but never noticed. It was just part of the Abnegation way of life.

"Yeah," I say trying to sound a little uncertain, "I think we had Faction history, Grammar, and Math together."

"I know we've seen each other Stiff," the Erudite girl turns around, "We were all in those classes together." She sounds a bit annoyed.

"Emily, that's not really nice to call him that," Quin jumps to my defense. I had mixed feelings towards Amity, they were always willing to help someone out like Abnegation, but their constant happiness and niceness was a little off putting.

"It's fine," I mumble quietly, "please, don't worry about it Quin," I plead him, not wanting to make a scene. The Dauntless girl, Emily, smirks and turns back around. Pretty soon the ceremony will start.

A man in a black and white suit, Mark Peters, leader of the Candor faction, stands up and makes his way to the stage where a podium awaits him. In font are five bowls. Each with a different symbol, each containing a different material; grey stones for Abnegation, water for Erudite, dirt for Amity, lit coals for Dauntless, and glass for Candor. The crowd quiets down, expectant and waiting.

"My family, my friends; welcome," he offers a warm smile to the crowd with his hands outstretched in a show of peace and welcoming, "we are here to bear witness to the beginning of a new stage of our children's lives. But they are no longer children. Today they take their first steps to becoming full fledged adults in our society." He pauses as the crowd offers a small applause, the parents looking at their children with smiles of admiration and pride. Mark Peters continued,

"One of the core principles of Candor is to always seek the truth. Yesterday our children sought truth about themselves and who they truly are. Today, they choose the path that they know truly belong on. Remember, after your Initiation, if you are successful, you will be full fledged members of your chosen Faction. Do everything in your power to uphold their manifestos and be the best you absolutely can be. The factions were designed for that. And always, Faction before blood." With that, the entire crowd resounded,

"Faction before blood." Mark Peters nodded in approval,

"Then let us begin the Choosing Ceremony! Abigail Abrahms!" A small girl at the head of the line in orange and red clothes stepped forward and took a knife from a small table and walked up to the bowls on the stage. Without a moment's hesitation, she cut her hand and let the blood drop into the bowl of earth, choosing to remain in Amity. A small cheer erupts from the Amity section and Abigail smiles, applying a small bandage to her hand as she is welcomed and embraced by her faction. The names continue to be called, each person choosing to remain in their faction until,

"Douglass Godfrey!" a skinny boy in Erudite blue steps forward, visibly shaking. He takes a knife, uncertainly and looks at it, then the bowls before looking at the bowls. A hushed silence sweeps over the crowd, anticipation building to be a stifling pressure in the open air amphitheater. Douglass walks over to the bowls, and examines them. Slowly, he draws the blade across his hand and steps forward. The blood drops into the bowl of glass, adding its own pattern of stains. People from Candor cheer and welcome him, those in Erudite look onwards disdainfully over the rims of their glasses. The first Faction transfer. The name calling continues and I take a step forward each time, keeping one row distance behind Emily. Then it's her turn.

Emily takes the knife, confidently, strides over to Dauntless' bowl and adds her blood to the burning embers without hesitation. Dauntless cheers the loudest out of every faction.

"Jonas Sanders!" I feel like I've been punched in the gut. All eyes are on me and I can feel them. I step forward, trying to remain calm and hide how nervous I am. Ascending the steps to the stage I look back and see my parents, their beaming smiles, eyes shining bright. I am Abnegation, I should think of them and my own faction. But today is my day. Today I am selfish. I take the knife and stand before the bowls. I look down at the knife, not as ugly and brutal as the one in the simulation yesterday, but the cold steel in my hands brings back memories of the dog and it attacking my younger self. The pain stings and burns my hand. I close my eyes. The hiss and sizzle of my blood on the burning embers seals my fate. I look back to the crowd. Dauntless members cheer, my mother cries and my father holds her, but they are still smiling and nod their approval. I can't deny I love them, but not as much as they love me. I take a bandage and join my new faction. Black clad bodies swarm around me, patting me on the back, congratulating me, and shaking my hand. I'm not used to the physical contact but I smile and feel relaxed among the tattoos and pierced bodies of my new home. My new family.

Quin's name is called, and he too chooses Dauntless. He finds me in the crowd, the biggest grin on his face,

"Let's find Emily!" he practically yells over the cheering. I roll my eyes but agree. We find her a few rows back with the other new Initiates. Only three of us transferred to Dauntless so far.

"A Stiff?" one girls asks, shocked.

"I'm impressed," Emily looks me over with a raised eyebrow over her glasses.

"Well, if it were that easy I see why you don't belong in Erudite," I reply without thinking. A mistake, my parents will hear about this and I'll have to do extra service hours. No, not anymore. Sounds of,

"OOOOH!" and

"Got her!" come from my fellow initiates. Quin is stunned, eyes open, mouth agape.

"Guys!" he exclaims, "come on, we're all in the same faction now." Emily rolls her eyes at him, but smirks at me.

"You're right," she says taking her classes off and pulling her blonde and brunette hair from its bun, "I don't belong in Erudite." She tosses her glasses off the top of the pavilion to the empty street below, a fire in her eyes and a look of sheer determination and excitement on her face. I smile in return and together with Quin, we stand together and watch the rest of our former classmates choose their paths.


	2. Chapter 2

The last name is called, a friend of mine from Abnegation. I watch as he dutifully adds his blood to the stained grey stones. No other faction has the retention rate of Abnegation. We were taught so strongly to think only of others, that we put the needs of our own faction before that of our family sometimes. But because of this, it always seems that the bonds between the members of Abnegation were stronger than those of the other factions. And yet, I never felt at home. Sure, I spent my whole life thinking about my future, and knew I'd be happy helping others and settling down with a girl from Abnegation. There were a couple of them in my class whom I'd seriously thought about, and they had stayed with their faction. And I hadn't. I looked around at my fellow Initiates. Some were already tattooed, pierced, and scarred. I looked at the other members of Dauntless. There didn't seem to be any member over the age of fifty. Was my new chosen life so dangerous? The average age seemed to be about twenty-five or so. Was our city really kept safe by a bunch of teenagers? Quin seemed to have noticed as well.

"Don't worry," he said quietly to me, "most of the older Dauntless work the fence." That's right, he lived outside the fence. How would he fair in the city?

Mark Peters waits for the crowd to settle down.

"Initiates, as you now are to be known as, congratulations. You have taken your first steps towards your new found destiny. For those who have chosen to transfer, only you know your reasons. For your sake I hope you know this is where you truly belong. I wish all of you the best of luck. Your Initiation starts now." With that, the Dauntless moved. Emily, Quin and I were perplexed at first, but immediately decided to act first and ask questions later. I turned and ran. My fellow Dauntless Initiates were funning back up the stairs to the top terrace of the Hub, the Sails looking like a ship, sailing into the future. We run through the pavilion, whooping and cheering, and I laugh. This behavior was frowned upon in Abnegation, but Quin seems at ease. We reach the set of stairs leading down, and the Dauntless aren't taking them. Instead, they take running jumps along the side and run down the side walls. I don't think about it, I just follow their lead.

"Are you crazy?!" Emily screams at me, but I laugh as I tear down the wall, no way to stop. She takes the stairs, but Quin is right on my heels.

"You're one crazy Stiff!" I hear the Dauntless girl shout from the other side of the stairway. We reach the bottom and the small group of black presses onwards towards the train tracks. We see the red train in the distance, fast approaching.

"It doesn't stop," Emily pants, trying to sound matter of fact. The other Dauntless roll their eyes. The train approaches and I swear it's gaining speed. The Dauntless start running, and so do I. The train catches up, and whizzes past, I feel the air blow past me and the first car passes me. Then the second. I see a door next to me and push myself to run faster than ever before throwing myself into it, catching a handle and swinging in. Quin is still running and I reach out my hand,

"Jump!" I yell, and he does. I grab his hand and pull him inside. Emily pulls herself in the next door down.

"You three are crazy," it's the Dauntless girl again, "I'm Jen, by the way," she extends her hand.

"Jonas," I say, taking it awkwardly.

"Quin," he says taking her hand. Finally Emily makes her way forward and extends her's,

"Emily," she seems about to say something more, but Jen has already moved to the doors.

"Get ready to jump," she has a wicked grin as she leans out the door.

"Seriously?" Quin looks out of breath still, and Emily looks exhausted already. We're approaching an old train yard, but then the train starts climbing. I take a step back from the door, as we keep going up. Eventually I step forward and look out. The first car is approaching the top of the building, grey with red iron beams forming X's across windows. People are jumping despite the gap. My jaw drops. I look at Jen who has taken a few steps back inside the car. She runs forward and launches herself out. Quin follows, and I take a few steps back with Emily.

"On three," she says.

"One. Tw-" before she finishes I grab her hand and pull us both towards the door. One step, two steps, three, and we're flying through the air. Emily screams, and my breath catches. We're not gonna make it.

Our feet slam into the gravel and we collapse. I try to tuck myself into an awkward roll but fall to the side instead. I look up and Jen is standing over us, a smirk across her face as she shakes her head. Turning, she walks away to the other side of the roof. I pull myself up and look to see three people in black pants, black shirts, black boots, and black vests standing along the barrier of the edge of the roof. The man in the middle, tall, muscular, with a Mohawk of jet black and the only one wearing what looks like a trench coat, looks down at the initiates gathered at his feet.

When we've all assembled, he introduces himself,

"I'm Razor," he says with a sharp, cutting, loud voice, "one of your Dauntless leaders." He looks around at the group before him, though he doesn't look to be that much older.

"This year is a first," he continues, "we have our lowest number of transfers, and they all made it." He's singling us out. Already things aren't to a great start for us by giving us the unwanted attention. The reactions from our fellow initiates is predictable. Hisses and groans of disapproval.

"Every Dauntless born initiate here has a birthright to this faction. You three do not. You must earn your keep here among us, and prove without a fraction of a doubt that you belong." All eyes are on us. I glare at Razor. He furrows his brows and his icey blue eyes glare back. Razor turns slightly on the edge of the concrete barrier.

"This is the entrance to Dauntless headquarters," he gestures over the side. Everyone, including Emily, Quin, and I move forward to look over the side. In the middle of the street, a gaping maw in the asphalt, with rebar sticking out along the sides greets us.

"Normally, it is an honor to be known as First Jumper. Today, however, it is the first test for our transfers." Cries erupt from the Dauntless born. We're already marked targets as our fellow Initiates glare at us. Quin's smile has faded, and Emily lifts her head to look down her nose at them.

"So…who of you three will be first to take the leap of faith?" Razor directs his question at us. Quin looks over the edge again. Emily asks,

"What catches us?" A mistake. A snicker goes through the initiates and Razor smirks.

"Why don't you find out, Nose?" he replies. Emily blushes. I step forward. All eyes are on me.

"I'll go," I say boldly. I wish I hadn't.

"Very well _Stiff_," Razor puts as much disdain into the word as he can, "let's see how you fair. At least you'll blend in and won't be missed if you don't make it." His words infuriate me. I feel the anger pulsate through my veins as I pull off my jacket and toss it to the wind. Hopefully a Factionless will find it. Did I really just think that? I step up on the barrier, and Razor steps aside. I look down and notice there is indeed a bit of a gap between the building and the edge of the hole. Then there's the rebar. I look up to the sky, and around Centre City one last time. I take a deep breath and leap.

I'm weightless, and floating. The thrill is exhilarating and I've never felt so free or alive. Then my stomach sinks, and I'm plummeting to the earth. I tuck my arms in and cross my legs, hoping for the best. The black maw rushes towards me, about to devour me. Total darkness around me, and them I stop. My breath catches and I swear I feel my heart is ripped from my chest as I feel a slight burning pain sear across my back. I bounce up slightly which jars my senses before I sink down again into a rough net. I smile and look up. The blue sky shines down through the ragged hole. I can barely see the edge of the building. I feel the net dip slightly on one side and roll towards it. Hands reach from the darkness and help me down. Another young man helps me up. He has a buzzcut, reminiscent of the old military hair style, is clean shaven, and wears a dark grey t-shirt with his black trousers and black leather and mesh boots. He extends his hand,

"I'm Shaggy. What's your name?" His voice is kinder. I guess not all Daunltess are like Jen or Razor.

"Jonas," I say uncertainly, still not entirely comfortable shaking hands.

"You sure?" he asks with a small laugh in his voice, "you only get one chance to pick a name." In a fraction of a second, I've thought over the possible choices and decide.

"Shadow" I say with confidence, "Just…Shadow." Shaggy offers a bemused smile, then calls out to the surrounding darkness,

"Alright, First Jumper: Shadow" a second later I hear a blood curdling scream and Jennifer has joined us, her black hair with red streaks a mess.

Shaggy leads us down a dark corridor. The only light from orange bulbs set every twenty feet or so near the ceiling. There are eighteen of us in the group besides Shaggy. He looks over his shoulder and addresses us all,

"This is for our new transfers, so your Dauntless born, bear with me." We exit the corridor and walk into a giant open space. I look around taking it all in. Pathways are cut into the stone along the walls of the giant opening. I can see apartments built along the walls and more buildings down on the floor. No railings protect the members from falling. Instead of orange, blue lights are spaced evenly along the walls.

"This is the Pit," Shaggy gestures, "it is the heart of Dauntless life." Emily's eyes are wide, and Quin's jaw has dropped. A crowd surrounds a trio beating out a tribal rhythm on drums. Another circle is around a duo sparring, their punches and kicks pulled so as not to inflict too much harm. Harsh but rhythmic and beautiful music wafts its way throughout the pit. I smile as I look about my new home, but we're moving again. Shaggy leads us down a flight of stairs, along a wall, and down into another corridor. There is a sign overhead that reads,

**Training Center**

**Authorized Personnel Only**

We make our way through a small maze of corridors, past doorways and windows looking into large empty spaces. At the very end of a long, empty corridor, Shaggy enters one such room. Except there are no doors, and it's occupied by Spartan, metal framed beds. There are exactly eighteen.

"How did they-" Emily starts, but Quin pokes her, making her stop. Shaggy waits until we are all gathered.

"This is your barracks. You are are required to keep it clean and orderly at all times. Morning revelry is at oh-six-hundred hours. Morning inspection is thirty minutes afterwards. You will be in uniform and standing by your made bunks ready for inspection. Centre City used to be home to one of only two training centers of an elite group of soldiers. Here, we try to keep their methods and spirit of training warriors alive." Shaggy turns his back and heads to one end of the room where two doors near each wall stand. Taking his place between them, he faces us, legs apart, and crosses his arms.

"In case you hadn't noticed," his voice now stern, "Initiation begins NOW!" The doors burst open and two members of Dauntless in crisp, clean, black uniforms of black combat boots, with black trousers tucked into them, black web belts, with black military blouses burst through each door, yelling.

"LINE UP! LINE UP!"

"GET IN A FREAKING LINE, RIGHT HERE!" Everyone is startled and immediately start moving.

"FIND A BUNK! STAND NEXT TO A BUNK!" the room is in chaos as Initiates scatter down the long room looking for an empty bunk.

"FASTER! FASTER! FASTER!"  
"YOU'RE ALL TOO SLOW"

"MOVE IT DAMNIT!" I sprint and immediately skid to a stop next to a bunk. A small black mass comes from my left,

"Move it _Stiff," _and I'm shoved to the floor.

"GET UP! GET UP YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF DIRT!" I scramble to my feet and run down the hall until I find a bunk and stand next to it. Shaggy walks down the hallway examining us all. The other Dauntless trainers have taken posts in each corner of the room.

"If the Factionless had revolted and you were called upon to defend our city, people would already be dead!" Shaggy yells at us, "Speed is everything. Precision is everything. You protect this city, and right now, I don't feel very safe. Follow your trainers; you will be issued uniforms, be given hair cuts, and have your piercings removed. You haven't earned the right to look like Dauntless, let alone be called Dauntless."

With that, Shaggy left the room and the trainer stepped into the middle of the room. The biggest one stood apart from the other three.

"To you Initiates, my name is Trainer Brick. The first and last words out of your rotten mouths will be 'Sir or Ma'am' depending on who's addressing you, am I understood?" he called out.

"Sir, yes Sir!"

"When I tell you to do something, you will say 'Aye', do you understand me?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"When I say 'Ears,' you will say 'Open.' When I say 'Eyeballs' you will say 'Click.' Do you understand me?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good. First things first, we're gonna teach you how to stand, cuz you lazy slouches apparently don't even know how to do such a simple task." The next fifteen minutes or so are spent with the trainers teaching us how to stand. There are only three ways to stand. At the position of attention, with our backs straight, chest out, chin up, heels together, feet pointed out at a forty-five degree angle, hands at our sides in a loose, natural curl with our thumbs along the seams of our trousers. Then there's Parade rest, like the position of attention, but with our feet shoulder width apart, hand tucked into the small of our backs, left hand holding the right. Then At Ease. We don't talk, we just stand, relaxed. We never talk, or move without being instructed to do so.

After learning how to stand, we are taught how to turn left or right. Right face means we pivot on our right heel, and left toe, kicking out the left heel slightly, before driving the left foot back into place next to the right foot, at the position of attention. Left face is the exact opposite. Then we march. The trainers had us march in circles around the room to their cadence,

"Left, right! Left, right! Left, right!" Eventually, they are silent, and we march to our own cadence, all in sync, all in step, at forty beats per minute. We are led through the entrance of our barracks, and down the hall. We turned right when coming here, and now we turn right again as we march. I stare at the back of the Initiate in front of me. What have I gotten myself into? Whenever I saw the Dauntless members, they seemed so free and wild, but here I was, with more order and discipline than was forced upon us in Abnegation. I hope I made the right choice.

We enter a room with a row of tables running down the length. Dauntless members stand behind them with stacks of black clothes in front. One set has t-shirts, one has trousers, one has the blouse that the trainers wear, except there is a patch on the right sleeve. Down the line I can barely see a set of tables with chairs next to them and what looks like the same type of boots the trainers and Shaggy wear.

"Here, you will receive your Utility Uniform," Trainer Bricke informs us, "It comprises of the black blouse, untucked, buttoned up over the black t-shirt, tucked into black trousers, which are bloused over your black combat boots. You will wear a black patrol cap whenever you are outdoors, a black duty belt and patrol cap with a black combat vest when on duty with a weapon, or simply a black duty belt, with patrol cap when on duty while garrisoned." Most of the words have no meaning to me, but I'm sure in time they will. Trainer Bricke continues,

"When I give the command to fall out, you will line up in front of the table with the size of clothing you wear. There will be absolutely no talking. FALL OUT!" We step back in unison,

"AYE SIR! BE BRAVE!" we shout as we were taught, and line up again according to the size we needed.


	3. Chapter 3

I lay in my bunk. Somehow Quin managed to end up on my right, Emily is across the hallway, and Jen is to my left. I stare up at the concrete ceiling. So different from my little bedroom back home. But this _is _home. At least it's supposed to be. After being issued uniforms we were issued other gear. A combat knife, a rifle, its cold steel and hard plastic feeling alien in my hands. When it was handed to me, my heart beat faster than ever as I took it in my hands. I know my parents would frown at the idea of me having it. Trainer Bricke taught us how to field strip it for cleaning and we spent almost thirty minutes doing nothing but breaking down and reassembling our weapons, over and over until we could do it in under two minutes. After that, we practiced drill. We were broken into three squads of six initiates, each squad with a leader. Trainer Bricke told us not to worry, we'd all get a chance as squad leader as no position was permanent. Together the three squad leaders will lead our initiate class, just like the three Dauntless Leaders who lead the faction. At the end of it all, I was exhausted. When we came back to the barracks, we were finally allowed to relax. Emily immediately broke out her field manual and devoured it. The others call her Nose, but she ignores them. She has a fire in her eyes that I admire. She knows she belongs here. Quin, I'm not sure of. He seems cheerful, but there is definitely something odd about an Amity choosing Dauntless. I need sleep, revelry will be here faster than I realize.

I open my eyes. I'm standing in the cafeteria at school. The warm sun shines through the windows, and I look down at myself. I'm wearing Abnegation grey. What day is it? Was yesterday just a dream? I look up and all the tables have disappeared. Oh no. Before me are two bowls. One has a knife, one has meat. Is this a dream? A dog snarls, I grab the knife and turn to face it. The dog paces before me, its fur raised across its shoulders, lip curled, teeth exposed. Those impossibly sharp, bright teeth. My heart races. The dog barks at me, a viscous sound that makes me take a step back. Growling, it advances on me. I kneel, and look down to show it I'm not a threat. The dog circles me.

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"  
"FEET ON THE DECK, NOW!" I bolt up from my pillow, the trainers are banging on trashcans and hitting bed frames with clubs as they walk down the barracks, yelling to wake us up. I throw the covers off and stand at attention by the right side of the foot of my bed. Quin falls as his foot gets caught in his blankets.

"I SAID FEET ON THE DECK INITIATE!" a Trainer strides quickly to Quin.

"Sir, yes sir!" Quin says loudly, getting to his feet and sidestepping the Trainer to get into position.

Shaggy and Trainer Bricke walk through the front opening of the barracks. The stark difference between the two is startling. Shaggy is wearing his full Utility Uniform today, but still seems relaxed. Bricke scowls at us as they walk by to middle of the room.

"EYEBALLS!" Bricke calls out.

"CLICK!" we reply, turning to look at the pair.

"Good morning Initiates," Shaggy says loudly so we can all hear.

"Good morning, sir!"

"You survived your first night in Dauntless. But you still haven't survived your first day. You have a very busy day today. To make sure every member of Dauntless is in peak fighting shape, we issue physical fitness evaluations on a regular basis. These are kept in your records and are taken into consideration when it comes times for Assignments. Along with those, we look at your overall grade during Initiate Training." Bricke steps forward,

"Initiate Training is broken into three stages," he says loudly and gruffly.

"Stage One began yesterday and will continue for the next six weeks. It is the most physically demanding. You will be pushed beyond your breaking point, and when you tear down your boundaries, you will rise, stronger and more confident than ever before. During this stage you will build muscle, learn how to fight, learn how to handle and operate a weapon, and learn how to work as a team. Stage two is more mental. You will enter simulations to face your fears. These simulations let you face potentially life threatening situations in the safety of a controlled environment. In them, you will learn to face and cope with your fears. The point is not to make you fearless; that is impossible. The point is to throw you into a stressful situation and teach you how to remain calm and collected so you can fight and save someone else's life if need be. The third stage is a combination of the two. You will be thrown into training simulations in the Fear Landscape. Here, you will face your fears in a real world environment. In order to be successful in the Fear Landscape, you must remember what you learned in the simulations and combine that with your training from stage One. When you are not in the Fear Landscape, you will be sent outside the compound on training missions. These are real world situations. There is real danger involved. However, you will be under the supervision of Dauntless Security, Shaggy, the other trainers, and myself." I feel dread rising over the next 18 weeks. A little over four months of Initiation. In abnegation, training was only a week of being secluded from society on retreat, learning how to lose yourself and see only those around you. Then you complete thirty days of community service, working in the various missions Abnegation has throughout the city.

"Morning Inspection is in thirty minutes. Get cleaned up. Fall OUT!" Bricke yells at us.

"Aye Sir! BE BRAVE," we shout back. The trainers leave and everyone quickly rummages in their lockers for shower supplies. I grab my soap, shampoo, razor, tooth paste and tooth brush, and a towel and follow my fellow Initiates to the showers. There are no stalls. No curtains. Just a big room with shower heads lining the walls. The girls all go to one side, and the boys go to the other, as if by some unanimous decision. We keep our backs facing the inside of the room, though every now and again, I catch a boy glancing backwards over his shoulder. I wonder if the girls are doing the same thing. I feel so uncomfortable with so many naked bodies. I lather up and scrub the sweat from my skin and rinse off. When I'm done, I grab my towel, dry off and wrap it around my waist. Making my way to the sinks to shave and brush my teeth, I try to keep my eyes low.

"What's wrong Stiff?" a couple guys call out, "Never seen a girl before?"

"Maybe he doesn't like girls."

"Stay away from me Stiff, I don't swing that way." Their calls embarrass me as I go to a far corner away from them.

Twenty minutes later, I'm in complete uniform, and standing by my bunk. It's only the first morning, so the trainers only check to make sure we're wearing the Utilities properly, we meet grooming regulations, and that our beds and lockers are cleaned to regulation. After Inspection we form up in our platoon. Jen is my squad leader, and I stand to her left in first squad. Quin is at the end of the squad, and Emily is behind me in second squad. One of the trainers stands in front of us, his uniform as crisp as Bricke's.

"Riiight…FACE!" He drags out the preparatory command. We pivot to the right, now in three columns.

"For-waaarrd. MARCH!" We step off with our left foot and march to the cafeteria for breakfast. I stare at the back of Jen's head. Her hair, jet black, goes past her shoulders when it's down. Today she has it in a ponytail. Just peeking out over her collar I can see hints of a tattoo on her back.

Down dark corridors with blue lights we march. Other Dauntless members step aside to let us pass, some smiling with pride, others smirking. We come out to the Pit.

"Platoon, halt!" We come to an abrupt stop.

"Column of files from the RIGHT!" Third squad leader turns his head,

"FORWARD!" Then second squad leader and Jen call out in unison,

"STAND FAST!" our Trainer Platoon Commander calls out one last command,

"MARCH!" one squad at a time, we form one column to navigate our way down to the pit floor. Out of the corner of my eye I glance down at the edge of the path. Wrong move. I never realized how high we are, and there are no handrails. My heart beats a little faster and my hands start to sweat. I focus on Jen and not falling off. Down flights of stairs we march, across my walkways, and down more stairs until we are at the bottom of the Pit. Pre-dawn light shines down on us from a ginormous glass ceiling. We march to the entrance of the cafeteria and stand in line.

Amazing smells hit me and I'm suddenly feeling ravenous even though I ate well last night. Pancakes, waffles, breakfast sausages, syrup, bacon, and eggs each add their savory smells to the cacophony of scents, making my mouth water. Knowing I'll need energy for the fitness test, but not entirely sure what it entails, I keep my breakfast full of protein with some carbs. Waffles, with eggs and sausage. I don't load up my plate either like some of my fellow Initiates. We make our way to a group of tables set aside behind a roped off barrier. Four tables with six chairs each. Our Trainers and Shaggy take up one table with Razor. Shaggy is laughing about something, while Razor frowns at him. His Mohawk is standing up, but the front of it droops over to the right, electric blue at the tips. The Initiates in front of us file past the tables until one member from each squad is next to a table. Just as Trainer Bricke taught us the previous night, each table waits until their squad is fully assembled before taking a seat. I sit next to Jen, Quin across from us. The other three members of our squad look around at Quin and I.

"Well," one boy speaks up, his hair blonde with icy blue eyes and a slightly pointed nose,

"I suppose we outta get to know each other if we're gonna be in the same squad. I'm Erik."

I nod in his direction,

"Jo-Shadow," I quickly catch myself.

"Shadow, nice name. Doesn't sound very _Stiff_," Erik replies. I feel blood rush to my cheeks,

"Yeah, well, I figured I can make myself new here."

"Ha!" the only other girl in squad lets out. I look at her, slightly offended. She has fiery red hair, braided and pulled back.

"Sorry," she says, clearly not, "I'm Maddi, by the way," she has a narrow face, and freckles cover her pale skin.

"Nice to meet you," I say trying to remain polite for the sake of my parents.

"Don't know if I can say the same," she says over her coffee. Erik smiles and looks over at Quin,

"Quin, right? From Amity?" Quin smiles,

"Yup."

"How the hell did you end up here?"

"I'm all for keeping the peace and all, but I figured there had to be a better way than just sitting passively around in a circle with a banjo to do it," he answers cheerfully.

"So, did you pick up the knife in your aptitude test?"

"Yup, killed the dog when it jumped at me," he says almost _too _cheerfully as he picks at his pancakes. Erik, Jen, and I look around at each other suddenly uneasy.

"Alrighty then," Erik looks at the final member of our squad, a boy bigger than all of us, with dark brown skin, and even with the buzz cut we all received, black curly hair, who kept quiet all yesterday and today.

"What's your name?" Erik asks. The guy doesn't acknowledge him. As he eats we can see his powerful muscles move. I wouldn't want to get in a fight with him.

"Sure are quiet," Erik says before shoveling more eggs into his mouth. The guy just grunts. I look at him and he seems oblivious to the world around us.

"As your squad leader," Jen starts, he finally breaks his gaze from his food and meets her eyes,

"I need to know your name so I can report to the Trainers in case something happens." Her voice is on the verge of shaking as his stare intensifies, but she remains calm. He looks thoughtful as he considers what she said. Finally, he breaks his silence. His voice is steady as a rock, and deep.

"Paine. Max Paine." He says. We're all taken aback.

"Your parents must have really loved you," Erik says to break the silence. We all chuckle, and even Max lets a hint of a smile tug at the corner of his mouth, but then he goes back to his eggs.

The Trainers stand up, our cue it's time to leave, whether we're finished with our food or not. I quickly finish the last of my orange juice, far from fresh, but still tangy and slightly sweet. We deposit our trays on a conveyer belt, and file out. We form up in our squads as a platoon, and once more march down corridors, up and away from the pit.

We come into a large room, sectioned off with brick walls and windows. To the right is what looks like a classroom. To the left, various pieces of gym equipment are scattered around, each with some unknown purpose to me. In the very center stands a raised platform with a ring on it. Punching bags of various shapes and sizes hang from the cross beams overhead. I can see in the shadows there are walkways above us, and from a wall on the far side, with enough space for a platoon twice our size to stand, hangs a board with all our names on it. Mine is at the top. Next is Jen. I realize it's in order of who jumped when. I can feel irritation grow from my fellow Initiates as they come to the same conclusion. We don't stay in the room; our trainer leads us through a couple more sets of doors until we are outside.

The sun shines down on us as we march out into a field. I can see a track encircles the grass, and off to the side are a row of posts with metal poles going across the top. We stop and face the Trainers.

"When you fall out, in your squads, you will find a partner. Half of you will complete the exercise in the two minute time period you are given, while the other half count off how reps you do," Bricke informs us.

"Fall out!"

"Aye sir, BE BRAVE!" I immediately turn to Jen who gives me a half smile.

"Partners?" she asks.

"Partners," I say, glad she was the one who asked first. Maddi is with Quin, and Erik is with Max. We head over to the posts off to the side. I wonder what they're for.

"Your first task," Bricke begins when we've gathered around them, "Is to execute as many chin-ups as possible. You will have your hands turned in towards you, you will start with your arms fully extended. Then you will pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar, before lowering yourself until your head is clear of the bar. There will be no kicking of the feet, and you may not swing yourself to use momentum to pull yourself up. A perfect score is twenty chin-ups." I've never done a chin up. Or much of any exercise come to think of it. Sure, we did some simple strength tests administered by the doctors twice a year to make sure we were healthy, but nothing like this. Suddenly I'm nervous as I watch the Initiates in front of me.

Jen steps up to the bar in front of us. She turns around so we face each other and I can judge how many chin-ups she's done. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. I watch her breathe, a steady rhythm, her face calm. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Her arms are shaking. Twelve. She's struggling to pull herself up but she makes thirteen, and rests for a couple of seconds before dropping down. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Those three she executes in quick succession, before grunting as she struggles for seventeen. Her chin just barely clears the bar. She holds it for a fraction of a second, and then drops to the ground, panting.

"Your turn," she says between gulps of air, stepping back as I step forward. My palms are sweaty as I take my position under the bar. I notice a little step neat the base of one of the vertical poles and at Trainer Bricke's command, step up and grab the bar. The warm metal is smooth and I worry if I'll slip.

"Ready!" Trainer Bricke calls out, holding a stopwatch, "BEGIN!" I pull up. One. Two. Three. This isn't so bad. Four. Five. Six. I try to keep a steady rhythm and breath. Seven. Eight. My arms are getting sore. Nine. I hold myself in the up position and try to catch my breath. I ease down and hang for a second before trying to pull myself up. The bar is eye level, just a little bit more. I'm stuck. I go back down and try again, this time it's just above my chin. I strain and pass it. Ten. One more, I know I can do it. My arms are tired but I must do one more. I lower myself down and quickly pull myself up again. Eleven. I did it.

"TIME!" Trainer Bricke calls out, and I drop to the floor.

"Wow _Stiff," _Jen smirks walking over, "Maybe you won't die within the week." I let out a laugh.

"Thaaanks," my arms are sore. Hopefully, the rest of the fitness exam doesn't involve using them. Next were sit-ups. Another form of exercise I'd never really done. Trainer Bricke explained a perfect score was one hundred. I had chuckles and whispers of,

"Easy," from the Dauntless born. I looked at Quin, he was seemed as uneasy as I was. We broke into four lines, each of us facing our partner. Jennifer's side went first. I knelt down in front of her placed my hands on her feet, just under her ankles.

"Don't worry _Stiff,_" her voice mocking me, "You'll get used to touching a girl soon enough." With a wink she laid down on her back and crossed her arms over her chest. I blushed, unsure of what to think or say. In Abnegation, physical signs of affection were frowned upon in public, and we didn't even shake hands like I'd seen the other factions do. We just weren't raised that way. We kept to ourselves and that's how everyone else seemed to like us.

A short blast from a whistle and Jennifer was moving. Her rhythm was steady and constant the whole time. Her breathing came out in short puffs and not once did her face show any signs of exertion. With thirty seconds left, she hit one hundred, but kept going. With ten seconds left she was at 120. At the blast of another whistle, she had hit 130. Trainer Bricke went down the list of initiates and we called out the numbers of our partners. More than half the group, all Dauntless born, and exceeded 100, and nobody fell short of eighty. Things weren't looking good for us transfers. I helped Jennifer up and took my position.

"Get your ass as close to your heels as possible," she said quickly and quietly to me. I must have looked really confused.

"Trust me, it'll create less distance your body will have to travel," she continued glancing around, "all you have to do is get your elbows to touch your thighs and let your shoulderblads touch the ground; you don't have to go down all the way."

"Thanks," I whispered.

"And exhale when you come up, it'll help!" The whistle blast, and I started. For the first thirty or so I was surprised by how even my rhythm was and I wasn't struggling. By fifty though my back was beginning to ache. Perhaps I should've stretched beforehand. At sixty I was feeling fatigue set in. But Jennifer whispered I had to hit eighty. So I set my goal on eighty five and took it five crunches at a time. With thirty seconds left, I was still at seventy five. Just five more. I eased down and tried to sit up again, but I couldn't. It felt like my abs were being held back. I tried again. Down, and back up. I got a little further this time. Jennifer was urging me on,

"Don't lock up now Stiff," she practically screamed in my face. I don't belong here. What am I doing? Making a fool of myself.

"Don't give up!" Jennifer said, "Only cowards give up, and you're Dauntless now!" She's right. I chose this. With sheer force of will I sat up and felt like I had broken invisible ropes that were holding me down. With just under ten seconds I pushed to eighty five.

"TIME!" Trainer Bricke called out.

"Good job," Jennifer was leaning over me with a wicked smile, "eighty-two isn't bad for a _Stiff." _With a wink, she took my hand and helped pull me to my feet.

"What's next?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.

"Oh, just a mile and a half run," she flashed that wicked smile of hers. I shook my head and followed her with the rest of our squad.

At the starting line, she gathered us together.

"Ok, listen up," she put her arms on Max's and Erik's shoulders, drawing us into a huddle, "at the starting whistle, don't shoot off the line. This isn't a race so much as to test our endurance."

"But it's timed," Erik cut in.

"Yeah, and if you sprint the first quarter mile, you'll be exhausted," Jen adopted a condescending tone, "we'll run together, I'll set the pace. During the last three laps, we'll gradually get faster, and we'll cross the line together." Erik looked skeptical, Max was thoughtful.

"Why are we working together when this is an individual test?" Quinn piped up.

"Dauntless are strong alone," Jen began, "but we're stronger together. Come one, let's show them what we're made of." She put her hand in the middle of the group, everyone joined her. I hesitantly put mine on top of the pile of hands. Jen chuckled, then said,

"'Dauntless' on three…one…two…three…"as a group we cried,

"DAUNTLESS!" and took our positions. The other squads looked at us and some shot us dirty looks. I glanced over at the Trainers. Bricke was scowling and had his arms crossed. Shaggy looks bemused. When we're all gathered at the starting line, a Trainer walks up and stands along it on the side of the track.

"On your mark!" Initiates get into position, one foot back, the other forward.

"Get set!" balances shift as we find the perfect position to launch from.

A shot from a gun. I flinch, but take off with my squad. We started on the outside edge, but Jen leads us to the inside as the other initiates sprint off as fast as they can. A few, like Emily, held back like us. We round the first corner and come up on the first straight away and Emily joins us. Jen takes no notice and quickens the pace just a little bit. Our steps become one beat, our breathing one breath. On the corners, Jen slows down a little, and speeds up again on the straights. We pass Initiates who chose to sprint and now struggle to keep a consistent pace. Lap one passed by in a blur. Lap two was just as easy. By lap three, halfway done, we're about to some up behind the other initiates. My legs feel warm, my chest like ice, but Jen keeps the pace manageable. I'm surprised by Max. As big as he is, he's having no difficulties. The only person who seems to be struggling is Quin, but physically he's fine. I wonder what he's thinking. We keep running.

As we cross the line for the fourth time, the Trainer calles out,

"Seven fourty-five, keep it up!" Then Jen changes things, she starts calling out a cadence,

"A left right, left right, left right, left!" she draws the final word out, and my squad responds, in step,

"A left right, left right, left right, left!"

"A lefty right, a lefty right, a lefty right a lo!"

"A lefty right, a lefty right, a lefty right a lo!" I join in and smile.

"Momma momma can't you see?!" Jen calls out, keeping rhythm with our steps, and we repeat each line.

"What Dauntless has done to me?!

Sat me in the barber's chair;

When I looked I had no hair!

Momma momma can't you see;

What Dauntless has done to me?!

Used to wear a mini skit;

Now I'm rolling in the dirt!

Oh Momma momma can't you see;

What Dauntless has done to me?!

Used to shake and shiver at night;

Took away my Fear now I'm ready to fight!" All the way around the track we sing, or chant or whatever. As we finish our fifth lap and start our sixth, Erik takes charge of calling cadence. Running has become easier for us, and the other Initiates who we've lapped by now catch up and join in. Jen speeds up the pace. We round the first corner and she speeds up again, Erik still chanting. By the final corner, he has to stop because we've moved into a full sprint. Our squad fans out across the track when we hit the straight away and all cross at the same time.

"Ten thirty-five!" the Trainer calls out, "the rest of you better hustle your asses up if you want lunch!" we keep running as a platoon, even though my squad is done. Another Initiate calls out cadence and we follow his lead. This is why I chose Dauntless. This is where I belong.


End file.
